You are here

Tennessee is full of great things, and I don't know many people who would argue this sentiment. Whether we're speaking about weekends full of football or the beautiful and varying landscape of this great state, there are countless great characteristics of Tennessee.

Recently, the music world celebrated the 100th birthday of icon and legend Woody Guthrie. Though Guthrie passed away in 1967, the messages and meaning of his songs still hold value in contemporary society.

If you've watched any bit of news lately, you have probably heard about the Supreme Court and its dealings with the Affordable Healthcare Act. Whether or not we endorse this specific piece of legislation is null and void. The nine Supreme Court justices didn't hear arguments to determine whether they agreed with the law, which is cynically dubbed Obamacare. These justices are only charged with deciding whether the legislation is constitutional — and this is where a problem arises.

While Trayvon Martin was killed on the night of Feb. 26, it seems as though the past several days have seen the case catch fire in the media. With the help of major outlets like FOX and CNN, the death of Martin has exploded into a nation-wide movement. Led by major figures in the African-American community and other various leaders, Americans of all color are organizing and protesting the murder of Martin.

Often times, I've rallied against the increasing hostility in current-day politics. We all see it. We all hear it. This is by no means saying that politics has always been civil and full of gentlemen willing to simply talk through their differences. Our fellow Tennessean Andrew Jackson is a fine example of rough and rugged politics. While Jackson had a spirited personality and sometimes used harsh tactics, our politics today have digressed into a mess of personal childish attacks.

Deja vu, anyone? Not even a year ago, the United States was confronted with a similar situation in Libya. Before the Libya issue, our country faced ordeals with other Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. While each country has presented a unique problem, it seems that our beloved U.S. continuously finds itself entangled in these messes.

Whenever I discuss politics, I always try to keep religion as far away as possible. By no means is this saying I'm not a spiritual person, I just feel like mixing politics and religion is somewhat of a toxic brew that can quickly become volcanic. With this being said, there's a trend in U.S. politics that has emphasized religion's role in policy and this is becoming a serious issue.

I completely understand that political tensions are high in our country. There has been plenty of proposed legislation during President Obama's tenure, but much of this legislation has withered and died due to a do-nothing Congress. Congress has increasingly been less productive since the GOP takeover. Regardless of this stalemate and lack of productivity, one would hope that Americans could remain dignified and respectable. Sadly, common decency seems to be struggling lately.

When first examining the Republican candidates, I wasn't all that impressed with any of them. Herman Cain had the rhetoric, but it quickly became clear that he knew little regarding foreign policy. Rick Perry had the reputation, but he could hardly form a logical sentence.

As engaged citizens, we constantly debate politics and different ideological standpoints. For the most part, this debate is a healthy practice, and it shows that even though we are all Americans, we can differ in opinion.

Throughout the last several months, it seems the Republican candidates wishing to unseat President Obama have been constantly engaged in debate. Though many people categorize me as an unbridled liberal, the candidates who are hoping to become the next President of the United States interest me. It's such an engaging band of characters that one cannot help but be entertained. From Newt Gingrich to Ron Paul, there is always a storyline coming from these GOP candidates.